章 4: Chapter 4: The Client
My first week at work wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Miranda mostly ignored my existence, along with most of the other staff members. She seemed to love being mysterious because she never explained my assignments, but I had learned to embrace the uninterested gaze she always threw at me. After all, it was better than nothing.
I had also changed my wardrobe. I shouldn’t be wasting such beautiful outfits on people that clearly don’t appreciate it. Unfortunately, that meant I had to settle for regular jeans and a shirt. However, I decided to spice it up a bit.
For instance, last Wednesday, I paired my jeans with a classy ribbed zip up top. Today, I had chosen a green silk top to compliment my black jeans. I knew I got looks for upgrading their drab sense of style; you’re welcome.
Tracy, Kevin and I had become the three musketeers at work. We had a daily ritual of sitting in the break room for 20 minutes to judge everyone that comes in. It was the perfect relief I needed after dealing with Miranda for 5 straight hours.
As for Mike (aka hottie number 2), after that mail, I hadn’t heard much from him. That wasn’t so surprising since I didn’t have to go to his office anymore. I wasn’t sure there was anything there, because apart from the occasional hi’s and sweet smiles we gave each other in passing, Mike hadn’t given even clear indication that he was interested and I wasn’t sure I was.
As intriguing as Mike seemed, he wasn’t enough to push hottie number 1 out of my mind. I was beginning to doubt if any other man had the ability to do that.
I eyed Mike from where I sat in the boardroom; he looked so delicious. He had on a brown t-shirt and white khaki pants. He had a way of adding life to boring colors, an ability I was jealous of.
“Wouldn’t life be easier if I liked what was right in front of me?” I thought, sighing loudly.
The room suddenly went quiet, and I could feel all eyes on me. I groaned internally, bracing myself for a scolding from Miranda.
“Are we inconveniencing you, Miss Garcia?” Miranda said, looking anything but impressed.
Even though I expected the scolding, I jumped in my seat. Mike’s eyes met mine; he smiled slightly and I drew my eyes away from him, hating that he had caught me staring. I eyed my notepad intensely, pretending to be busy.
“I apologize for the disturbance.”
Miranda scoffed and continued. “Kevin, where are we on Palmer's article?”
“Halfway there, I just need a definite source to confirm my findings and we’re good to go,” Kevin responded confidently.
“You remember your deadline?” Miranda asked.
“Deadline for this is the 22nd, which is tomorrow.”
“No, Kevin. That’s the release date. You missed your deadline, again. Claire had to work on YOUR assignment for YOU, again!!” Miranda sat down angrily. Her eyes were focused on Kevin who was sweating profusely.
She picked up a green file and continued. “I know we’re used to luxury clients, but this client is more than that. I’m sure everyone is familiar with Samuelson Inc.?”
I nodded enthusiastically along with everyone else in the boardroom. Samuelson Inc. was a family business popular for their exclusive fashion line. From luxury bags, to shoes and outfits so beautiful you could cry. Getting to work with them would be a dream come true.
“The new CEO is launching a themed fashion line for his inauguration party. He would be coming in today to see if we’re a good fit for his company and his personality.” Miranda looked around. “I don’t think I need to stress how important this is to Epic Buzz. Be on your best behavior today.” She picked up the file and walked out of the room.
“I guess that’s our cue to leave,” I thought.
“Coming for lunch?”
I looked up to see Tracy and Kevin in front of me, probably eager to talk about how Miranda had yelled at Kevin and I again.
“Sure,” I said. “I just need a moment to drop off my stuff at my desk.”
“You know where to find us,” Kevin winked.
I chuckled subtly. At least they made working here fun. After picking up my stuff, I made my way to the door but stopped when I felt a hand on my arm. I turned around to find Mike staring down at me.
“You seemed really intrigued in the meeting today,” he stated as he reached over me and opened the doors for me. “Was there anything interesting?”
I walked out of the boardroom with him, a smirk on my face. Time to get my flirt on.
“Why? Was there something you wanted me to find interesting?” I stopped by the break room eager to see where this conversation went.
“I think you already did find something, since you were staring at me during the meeting.”
I turned bright red immediately. I knew he had noticed, but I hoped he wouldn’t bring it up.
“That’s brave, I like it,” I thought.
“Speaking about things you find interesting; I noticed you drink a lot of coffee...” He did that thing with his shirt again and continued. “I know a really good place about ten minutes away if you’d like to check it out sometime.”
Did Mike just ask me out? It was a little bit shocking, because although I found him attractive and knew he returned the sentiment, we hadn’t interacted so much, and I didn’t think we had a lot of chemistry.
It was just one date, right? It would give me a chance to get to know him better and see if we have things in common aside from flirting at the office.
With that, I smiled at him. “As long as I have something to stare at.”
Mike laughed heartily. “I’ll see you later, Leah,” he smiled and retreated to his office.
I joined Tracy and Kevin in the breakroom who were paying too much attention to their hands. I took my seat and stared them both down. “Just say it.”
“Boring Mike?” Kevin piped up.
“Boring Mike?” I repeated. “That’s what you call him?”
“It’s just a nickname we gave him because he never shows up for team dinners, retreats, workshops, nothing,” Tracy offered. “He’s the fun-police here.”
“He didn’t seem boring to me,” I said.
“That’s because he’s trying to impress you, sweety,” Kevin chimed in. “He doesn’t care about the rest of us.”
I turned to Tracy, “Do you think he’s trying to impress me?”
“If you don’t find him as boring as we do? Definitely,” she said, exchanging an annoying high-five with Kevin.
I rolled my eyes at their antics, “I don’t have to listen to this.”
“Well, you can’t get rid of us either,” Kevin said with a coy smile.
I looked at my watch and flinched. “I can get rid of you now, because our five minutes is over. It’s time to get back to work guys.”
We all groaned and then filed out, but before I could make it back to my desk, I accidentally made eye contact with Miranda who gestured for me to follow her. I sighed again and turned to Tracy and Kevin with sadness in my eyes.
“You’ll be fine,” Tracy mouthed.
I followed Miranda into her office and stood awkwardly, waiting for her to tell me what she needed.
Miranda looked at me pointedly.“Don’t just stand there, there’s a chair for a reason.”
I bit back a response and sat down like my boss had ordered. I waited patiently, but she seemed obsessed with whatever she was looking at on that deadly screen.
Her phone rang, she picked up, nodded and turned to me.
“I’d like you to go to the reception and escort the CEO of Samuelson Inc. in,” she said, going back to her computer.
“Right now?”
“Do you think there’s a better time?” Miranda asked, her voice dripping in obvious sarcasm.
I rolled my eyes internally, nodded and left her office. Tracy was wrong. I wasn’t sure I could ever get used to her. She was mean, spiteful and clearly didn’t have a sense of humor. I made my way to the reception mumbling to myself about the evil ways of Miranda Scott.
I was so distracted that I walked into the reception and saw nobody at first. I scanned the room, and my eyes finally met a familiar pair of baby blues, complimented by dark hair and a powerful jawline.
What is HE doing here?
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